Aluminum Fence Installation in West Michigan
Fence Brothers | West Michigan’s preferred aluminum fence installer
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Whether you’re planning a residential fence, or just exploring your options, we’ll help you understand what makes sense for your property, your goals, and your budget.
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Current Project Start
About 2 weeks
Next Available Estimate
Within 48 hours
Local Permit Wait Time
About 2 weeks (if necessary)
Why West Michigan Homeowners Choose Aluminum
Three things make aluminum a particularly good fit for this climate.
- It doesn’t rust. Aluminum oxidizes on the surface and stops — the protective layer it forms seals the metal underneath. West Michigan doesn’t make life easy on outdoor materials, with humid summers, lake-effect snow that sits for months, and road salt drifting onto fences along subdivision frontages. Aluminum handles all of it without corroding through.
- It’s light enough for clay soil. Most of Kent County sits on clay-heavy ground that swells when it gets wet and grips whatever is buried in it when it freezes. Aluminum panels are relatively light, which puts less load on footings and means less movement when the soil shifts through a Michigan winter.
- The finish holds. A factory powder-coat finish on aluminum holds its color and gloss for 15 to 20 years with nothing more than a hose-down once a year. You’re not repainting it, resanding it, or treating it on a cycle — it looks after itself.
WHAT WE INSTALL
Aluminum Fence Styles We Install
We install four main styles, all available in standard residential or heavier commercial grade. Standard colors are black, bronze, and white — black is what most of our customers choose.
Flat Top
Clean horizontal top rail with no picket overhang. Modern and understated, it’s common around pool enclosures and contemporary builds where a simpler profile fits the architecture better than decorative finials.
Spear Top
Pickets extend above the top rail in a pointed finial — the traditional ornamental look that most people picture when they think of ornamental aluminum fencing. Popular for front-yard runs in Ada and Forest Hills.
Curved Top
The top rail curves gently between posts, softening the appearance on long runs. It works well around landscape beds and pool patios where a harder geometric line would feel out of place.
Finials and Decorative Caps
Ball finials, fleur-de-lis, and quad caps can be added to post tops or picket caps and mixed with any of the three styles above for a more custom look.
Heights run 3, 4, 4.5, 5, and 6 feet. For taller commercial-grade installations — facility perimeters, athletic field surrounds — see our commercial fencing page.
Other Aluminum Options We Build
- Pool-code-compliant aluminum with narrow picket spacing
- Two-rail and three-rail configurations
- Puppy-picket bottom rail for small dogs
- Racked and stepped panels for sloped or graded yards
- Custom aluminum driveway gates with automatic operators
- Aluminum hand railings and stair runs
Our 5-Year Workmanship Warranty on Aluminum
Our workmanship warranty runs five years from the installation date and covers every aluminum fence we install.
What it covers:
- Post movement, lean, or settling
- Panel separation from posts
- Hardware failure from installation defect — hinges, latches, brackets
- Gate sag from improper post setting
What the manufacturer covers separately:
- The aluminum panels carry their own manufacturer warranty on finish and structural integrity — typically 15 to 20 years on the powder-coat finish
What is not covered:
- Failure to perform recommended annual maintenance — rinse the fence once a year and check gate hardware seasonally
- Damage from impact (vehicles, fallen trees, lawn equipment)
- Modifications made by other parties after installation
Kentwood Permit Rules for Aluminum Fencing
Kentwood requires a permit for any fence over 30 inches tall, and we handle the application on every job. (Kentwood Planning Department FAQ)
Permit fee
- $50 without engineering review
- $150 if engineering review is required (Kentwood Fence Permit Application)
Height limits for aluminum (aluminum qualifies as an open-type fence under Kentwood code)
- Front yard: 4 feet maximum
- Rear and side yard: 6 feet maximum (Fence Standards for Residential Properties)
Property line.
Fences must be installed within your property — not in the public right-of-way. We review the survey before any post goes in.
Corner lots.
On corner lots, a 25-foot triangle from the intersection of the two street lines must stay clear of anything taller than 30 inches. If your fence crosses into that zone, the section inside it needs to step down. (Kentwood Zoning Ordinance Section 3.06)
Prohibited materials.
Barbed wire, razor wire, electrified wire, and similar materials are not allowed on permitted fences.
We handle the scaled site sketch, the easement layout on the application, the fee, and the submission to the Planning Department. Permit processing typically takes about two weeks.
Aluminum Pool Fence Installation and Pool Barrier Code
Aluminum is the standard material for pool enclosures in West Michigan, and Kentwood’s rules about what the fence needs to do are specific.
The requirement
Any pool, hot tub, or similar structure holding 24 inches or more of water must be enclosed by a fence approved by the zoning administrator. The fence — including the gates — must be at least four feet tall above ground level. (Kentwood Zoning Ordinance Section 3.11)
Gates have their own requirement.
Every gate must be self-latching, with the latch placed four feet above ground level or made inaccessible to small children from the outside. We install pool gates with magnetic self-latching hardware at the required height, and each gate closes on its own from any position.
Picket spacing matters.
Pool-barrier-compliant aluminum uses narrower picket spacing than standard ornamental — typically under four inches — so a small child cannot pass through or use the horizontal rails as footholds. We use pool-rated panels on any installation around water deeper than 24 inches, whether or not the homeowner has specifically requested them.
Powder coat means no field painting.
Aluminum arrives from the manufacturer already finished. There’s no on-site painting, no stain to dry, and no touch-up coat needed before you use the yard. The fence looks finished the day the crew leaves.
Most of our pool work runs through Ada, East Grand Rapids, Forest Hills, and along the lakeshore in Holland. We coordinate with pool installers directly — if your pool is going in this summer, we can schedule the fence to follow the patio pour without holding up the rest of your build.
HOW IT WORKS
From Estimate to Final Walkthrough
Every aluminum post we set goes at least 42 inches deep in concrete — below West Michigan’s frost line. That depth is what separates a fence that holds its line in year five from one that starts to lean by its second spring.
1
Free On-Site Estimate
Alec or a crew lead walks your property, measures the runs, and gives you a written estimate before leaving. We review property lines, discuss materials, and flag anything — grade changes, root systems, HOA requirements — that could affect the build so there are no surprises on installation day.
2
Permits, HOA, and Utility Locates
We handle all the paperwork: the local zoning permit, an HOA application if your subdivision requires one, and the state utility locate request before any digging starts. The permit and HOA review run in parallel wherever possible so you’re not waiting on one before the other can move forward.
3
Installation
Posts go in below the frost line in concrete. The fence goes up piece by piece on-site, addressing grade changes and anything flagged during the estimate as we go.
4
Final Walkthrough and Warranty
We check every gate latch, verify every post is plumb, and leave you with the warranty packet before we go. Our five-year workmanship warranty covers post movement, picket separation, and structural issues from installation.
RECENT WORK
See What a Fence Brothers Installation Really Looks Like
How Michigan Winters Affect Aluminum Fence
Aluminum installation has two failure modes in this climate, both of which come down to not adjusting for what Michigan does to a fence over a full seasonal cycle.
Thermal movement. Aluminum expands and contracts with temperature changes. Over the swing from a January deep freeze to a July afternoon, a six-foot panel shifts by a small but meaningful amount. Across a long fence run with panels set tight against the post channels, that movement can show up as bowing in the summer heat and stress on the top rail connections over time.
Every panel-to-post connection we make includes the manufacturer-specified gap to allow for that movement. The fence looks tight on installation day and stays that way through July.
Frost heave. Michigan’s frost line is 42 inches below grade, set in state building code as the minimum depth for permanent post installations. Posts set shallower than that may shift as the ground freezes and thaws, and in the clay-heavy soil that covers most of Kent County, that movement is something homeowners often notice by the second winter.
Every aluminum post we set goes at least 42 inches deep in concrete. In clay ground, we pour with a flared base rather than a straight-wall hole — that shape is more resistant to being pushed upward when the soil freezes around it. Gate posts go deeper than line posts due to the repeated stress of the gate opening and closing, which adds load that a line post doesn’t carry.
We don’t hang gates or stress hardware until the concrete has had at least a week to fully cure. Rushing that step is one of the more common reasons a gate starts to sag within its first year.
Get a Free Estimate — See What the Installation Looks Like on Your Property
Low monthly payments available through Wisetack financing.
Every pool enclosure we install is spec’d to Michigan Residential Code barrier requirements before we order a single panel. If you need a pool fence, property boundary, or ornamental aluminum in Kent County, let’s walk your yard and get the details right.
What We Install and Why It Holds Up
Not all aluminum fences are the same, and the material specifications matter more than most homeowners realize until they’re comparing quotes side by side.
- Alloy grade. The aluminum we install is structural-grade — the same category used in commercial railing and architectural framing. It’s strong without being brittle in cold weather, which matters when panels are sitting through a January ice storm.
- Panel thickness. We install standard residential grade for most single-family applications and a heavier commercial grade for taller runs, athletic surrounds, and any installation where the fence might catch direct impact. We don’t install thin-wall aluminum — it dents on contact and the connections between pickets and rails tend to loosen within a few years of repeated freeze-thaw cycling.
- Powder-coat finish. The factory finish on the aluminum we install meets the exterior architectural coating standard for color retention and UV resistance. In practical terms, it holds its color and gloss for 15 to 20 years in West Michigan without needing to be repainted.
- Post sizing. Standard line posts are two-inch-square. Corner posts and gate posts step up in size depending on gate weight and the length of the run.
- Fasteners. We use stainless steel or aluminum fasteners only. Standard hardware corrodes when it contacts aluminum in wet conditions — the rust spreads from the fastener into the surrounding material over time. It’s a slow process, but it’s a predictable one if you use the wrong fastener for the job.
What Customers Say About Fence Brothers
WHERE WE WORK
Where We Work Across Kent and Ottawa Counties
Ada. Most of our Ada work is ornamental aluminum on front-yard runs where the HOA requires an open-style fence. Lots here tend to be larger with mature landscaping, so we’re usually routing around established trees and existing irrigation systems.
East Grand Rapids. The neighbourhoods around Reeds Lake have tight lot lines and mature oaks. We pull a property survey for every job here before we dig — it prevents property line problems before they start.
Forest Hills. Larger properties, often with custom driveway gates integrated into the fence run. We handle the gate operator installation ourselves, which keeps the hardware warranty with one company rather than splitting it between two.
Holland. Lakeshore properties take more abuse from the humid air and moisture coming off Lake Michigan. Aluminum holds up well in that environment, which is why it’s the material we most often recommend for properties close to the water.
We also build in Kentwood, Caledonia, Byron Center, Rockford, Grandville, Grand Rapids, and Wyoming. See areas we serve for the full list.
Ready for an Aluminum Fence Estimate?
A well-chosen aluminum fence holds its finish, holds its line, and holds its value for decades — and the maintenance it asks for in return is almost nothing. Fence Brothers has been building aluminum fences across West Michigan since 2013, from small ornamental front-yard runs to full pool enclosures and custom gate installations.
We have estimate slots open within 48 hours. Alec or a crew lead walks your property, measures the runs, reviews property lines, and hands you a written quote before leaving — no pressure, no follow-up pitch.
Request a Free Estimate
Frequently Asked Questions
Common Questions About Our Fencing Services, Pricing, and Process.
How much does an aluminum fence cost in West Michigan?
Pricing depends on height, style, gate count, grade, and site conditions — we provide a written quote after walking your property. Slopes, root systems, and gate operator integrations all affect the total.
Do I need a permit for an aluminum fence in Kentwood?
Yes — any fence over 30 inches tall requires a Kentwood Planning Department permit. The fee is $50, or $150 if engineering review is needed. We handle the application, the scaled site sketch, and the submission. Processing typically takes about two weeks.
Is aluminum fence good for pool enclosures in Michigan?
Yes — it’s the most common material we install for pool enclosures. Aluminum resists the moisture, UV exposure, and chlorinated splash around a pool deck without corroding or fading over time. It also meets Kentwood’s four-foot minimum height requirement with code-compliant picket spacing and self-latching gate hardware included.
How long does an aluminum fence last in Michigan winters?
A properly installed aluminum fence will last 20 or more years in West Michigan. The aluminum itself doesn’t rust, and the powder-coat finish holds color for 15 to 20 years. Gate hardware — hinges and latches — typically needs to be serviced or replaced somewhere around the 10 to 15-year mark.
What makes aluminum a good fit for a Michigan yard?
Aluminum doesn’t rust, requires almost no maintenance, and holds its finish for 15 to 20 years in West Michigan’s climate. The powder-coat finish handles humid summers, lake-effect snow, and road salt without needing to be repainted or treated. Posts go in below the frost line so the fence holds its line through freeze-thaw cycles, and the panels are light enough that they put minimal load on footings in clay soil.
How deep are aluminum fence posts set in Kent County?
Every post we set goes at least 42 inches deep in concrete — below the Michigan frost line per state building code. In clay-heavy ground, we pour with a flared base rather than a straight-wall hole, which resists being lifted when the ground freezes. Gate posts go deeper than line posts due to the added load from the gate swinging.
How long does an aluminum fence last in Michigan’s climate?
A 16-gauge aluminum fence with AAMA 2604 powder coat lasts 30–50 years in Michigan’s climate without rusting, rotting, or warping. The non-ferrous aluminum substrate doesn’t corrode even when the powder coat chips — unlike steel, which rusts at every bare spot. Our 5-year workmanship warranty covers post movement, picket separation, and structural issues caused by installation.